Many people suffer disabilities that make it difficult for them to move about their environment. In particular it can be difficult for these people to sit and rise; for example getting down to and up from chairs, couches, toilets, benches and beds. There is a need for devices that can assist these individuals in walking around their environment and also assist them in sitting and rising. There are many devices targeted at assisting people with disabilities but unfortunately these devices have many limitations, drawbacks and inadequacies.
Current mobility assistance devices can be grouped into seven categories as outlined below—each with their own target users and associated limitations, drawbacks and inadequacies.
Category 1: Dedicated Devices for Assisting People to Sit and Stand
Devices in this category assist individuals in sitting and standing, but do not help with walking, and are generally difficult to move, thus requiring a device at each object (chair, couch, etc.) at which an individual needs to sit and rise. Many of these devices contain a platform that goes under an object or a frame that goes around the object. Some of these devices also assist people in transferring to a walker but do not themselves provide a means to assist the person in walking. In addition, people with limited mobility are not usually able to install the devices themselves and therefore need assistance with installation. For these reasons many people who could benefit from these devices do not purchase them and simply continue to struggle.
Category 2: Devices With Passive Features to Assist People to Stand
Devices in this category add design features into a standard assistive device (cane, walker, etc.) that are intended to assist people to stand, but have limited usefulness since the features need to fit within the constraints of the original device, and usually compromise the basic utility of the device itself. For example multi-level handles may be easier to grab when rising, but provide limited area to hold the handles while walking. Likewise, surfaces for users to place their feet to anchor a walker when rising can interfere with normal operation and even cause a fall hazard.
Category 3: Devices With a Movable Support to Assist People to Stand
Devices in this category have a support that moves into place for a person to hold onto when rising. These devices have the fundamental problem that the hand support extends beyond the center of gravity of the device and/or user, which can result in the device tipping unless the user holds the device at an awkward angle, or shifts his/her weight in an unnatural way. Some of these devices are intended to rest on the seating surface of a chair or couch, but are unstable on soft cushions and may not be at the correct height to help facilitate standing.
Category 4: Weight Leveraging Lifts and Walkers
Devices in this category utilize counter balances, hydraulics, or springs in mechanisms that are intended to assist a person in sitting or rising. These devices tend to be large, expensive, and complicated items that are not appropriate for the average person needing assistance with sitting and standing, and typically find limited use for severely disabled individuals.
Category 5: Transfer Assistance Devices
Devices in this category provide assistance to a person in transferring from one object to another—for example from a wheelchair to a bed. These devices have limited functionality, and are not appropriate for the average person needing assistance with sitting and standing. The devices are typically designed for use with wheelchair bound individuals and are of no, or limited, utility for people who simply need assistance in walking and do not require a wheelchair.
Category 6: Powered Assistance Devices
Devices in this category use motors, compressed gas, or other power sources to actively raise and/or lower a person, resulting in a device that is heavy, large, and expensive, and that needs to contain, or be connected to, a power source. Thus these devices are not appropriate for the average person needing assistance with sitting and standing, and typically find limited use for severely disabled individuals and in limited environments.
Category 7: Supportive Canes
Devices in this category utilize legs, platforms, and/or supports to provide some additional stability to a cane. While these devices do provide additional support to a person for walking, the devices do not provide adequate stability or leverage to provide significant assistance to a person in sitting or standing.
As evidenced by the large number and type of devices that have been invented and that are available commercially, there is obviously a significant need for mobility assistance devices. Different types of devices suit people with different needs and different types of disabilities adding to the breath of devices. Despite the significant need, decades of invention, and numerous products being brought to market, there is currently no adequate device to both assist disabled individuals in walking around their environment and also assist them in sitting and rising.